


Date with a Messy Eater

by WolfenM



Series: Date with a ... [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Dates, Drama, Drama & Romance, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Episode: s10e08 Memento Mori, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Introspection, Jealousy, Light Angst, Male Friendship, Misunderstandings, POV Cameron Mitchell, POV Daniel Jackson, POV Sam Carter, POV Third Person, POV Vala Mal Doran, Romance, Team Bonding, Team Feels, Team Fluff, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 10:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8709130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfenM/pseuds/WolfenM
Summary: After Vala's rescue from The Trust, when SG-1 takes Vala out for dinner, Daniel gets an earful from the rest of the team about how he's been treating her ....





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written circa late 2006 as "Ribs", tweaked slightly for this reposting (I figure it's about time I get my Stargate stuff posted over here). Takes place IMMEDIATELY after the end of "Memento Mori", canon divergence from "Company of Thieves".
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Cameron Mitchell, General Landry, The Trust, and the Stargate ©/TM Stargate (II) Productions, Kawoosh Productions, The SCI FI Channel, Showtime/Viacom, Sony/MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions.

After a lengthy, flustered pause, in which Daniel Jackson insisted that his having taken Vala out to dinner was _not_ a date, he realised he was wasting his time trying to convince the only person who already believed anyway: himself. Everyone else had already left the room. For one spiteful moment, he considered letting them go on to dinner without him -- then chided himself for being so juvenile. They would think what they would think, no matter what he said; he wasn't about to hurt Vala's feelings just to teach them a lesson that they wouldn’t "get" anyway. He hurried after them, abruptly slowing when he rounded a corner and almost ran into them. He tried to act nonchalant as they all eyed him in their peripherals, Vala with an endearing sort of shyness, the rest with barely-veiled mirth -- even Teal'c! Daniel sighed inwardly.

Things got momentarily worse when they got to the parking lot, and they realised they wouldn’t all fit in Cameron's car.

"I can sit in Daniel's lap..." Vala offered coquettishly, hanging on his arm.

"Uh, _no_ ," he told her firmly.

Where once Vala would have made a glib remark or innuendo, she now only said a small "Oh," and let go of his arm, looking vaguely embarrassed. Surprised, Daniel felt a stab of guilt. She'd been through so much; maybe he shouldn’t push her away, but ... it didn’t seem a good idea to _encourage_ her, either.

"You may sit on _my_ lap, ValaMalDoran," Teal'c offered, giving Daniel the strangest look. Daniel felt himself bristle inexplicably at Teal'c's words, but if he had come upon the Jaffa on battle, as an enemy, the man's expression would have sent him scurrying in the other direction.

Sam and Mitchell weren't looking too friendly at the moment either.

Landry actually stepped in to save the day. "No one has to sit on _anyone's_ lap. I'm entitled to treat my command now and then; we'll take a limo," he insisted.

Vala pointedly sat between Teal'c and Sam, with Mitchell, Landry, and Daniel sitting across from them. She avoided looking at him the entire way, instead playing with the limo's various buttons for a bit. When she tired of that, she started asking Sam all sorts of questions about some things she'd read in Cosmo. Some of her inquiries were a touch embarrassing for Sam, to say the least -- and filled Daniel with a sadistic sort of satisfaction. After the looks Sam'd given him -- the teasing ones over the idea of "dating" Vala, _and_ the angry one in the parking lot -- the colonel deserved a bit of discomfort!

Vala had apparently decided he'd been punished enough by the time they reached the rib joint Cameron had mentioned, sitting next to him in the booth. Daniel sat on the inside, Cameron across from him. Sam sat on the outside, next to Vala, Teal'c opposite Vala, and Hank opposite Sam. Daniel felt a little boxed in -- particularly with the speculative glances Mitchell kept throwing at him. Still, by the time the appetizers had arrived, everyone seemed to warm back up to him, their tempers cooled.

Vala got a bit of dipping sauce on the side of her mouth, and Daniel laughingly wiped it away -- with a napkin, of course, though he did entertain the notion of using a finger ... or yes, even his tongue. She ginned, and his heart flipped. Yes, using his fingers would have been asking for trouble enough; using his _tongue_ would have been asking for something he didn’t dare contemplate.

"Sorry," said the waitress breathlessly, interrupting his thoughts, "but the kitchen staff's a little short-handed tonight, so it will be a little while yet before the rest of your food is ready."

"Oh, that's fine, we're in no hurry!" Vala assured the woman, who left with a nod. "Having recently been in foodservice myself, I can sympathise," she told her friends. "Honestly, being here makes me a little nostalgic. Though I hope it really _doesn't_ take long -- I'm awfully hungry! Oh! I should call Sal," she told Landry, "let him know I'm all right! And Joe!"

"Who are they?" Landry asked.

Daniel tried not to seem overly-interested in the answer.

"Sal was my boss at the deli, and Joe was one of the regulars. He's a cop, and he took me into the station this afternoon, before that Trust operative came in claiming to be Colonel Carter abducted me again."

Daniel felt his stomach churn. The Trust had captured her _twice!_ Sam was right, they -- _he_ ... wasn't very good at protecting _anyone_ from the enemy ....

"So, what-all adventures did you have out there without us, Vala?" Mitchell asked with a bit of his Texan twang showing.

As ashamed as he was for his part in what had happened to her, Daniel couldn’t stop staring at her in wonder as she told her story. She was such a strong, resourceful woman -- and yet there was a sweet vulnerability to her. The rough, deceptive edges she'd built up to survive in space had started to wear away, revealing more of the diamond beneath. She was a treasure, and there was no way in hell he was going to let anyone steal her again!

He surprised himself with the vehemence of the thought, but then assured himself that he was just as devoted to the rest of his friends, whom he also treasured. That's all it was ....

~ *@* ~

When her tale was finished, Vala noted how somber the group had grown. It made her feel a little awkward, but it also warmed her to see them all looking so fondly on her now. She'd never had friends like this before -- she found she liked it. It was partially why she'd decided to, as Daniel had put it, stop running -- the other reasons being to save the universe and to be with him. She knew without a doubt now that, no matter what happened with Daniel, she was where she belonged. For once in her life, she'd made a good choice.

The mood improved greatly as conversation moved to old missions with Jack -- she had read the mission reports, but enjoyed the personalisation of the anecdotes. And Vala was happy to get to know more about her new teammates (even as she was a bit jealous of the adventures they'd had together without her). Best of all, Daniel laid his arm casually along the top of the seat -- she could feel it, comfortingly, against her back.

* * *

"So is Jack your father, Daniel?" Vala finally asked.

Daniel and their companions scowled in amused confusion.

"Jack's not _that_ old!" Sam protested.

Daniel almost choked on his water. "Er, no, what made you think that?" he asked, laughing lightly.

She immediately seemed contrite. "Your surname. Jackson. Jack's. Son." She shrugged. "Anyway, from how you speak of him in your stories, and how he seemed around you when I met him, I just thought ..."

The linguist in Daniel was pleased at the correlation she'd made. He smiled, thoughtfully. "You know, you’re right ... I mean, I'm not his _biological_ son, but my parents died when I was a child--"

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, that's right, you told me that already! I'm sorry I forgot!" She bit her lip, eyes worried.

He smiled, and squeezed her shoulder, feeling a flush of pride for her when he felt her new SGC patch against his palm. It took him a moment to remember what he wanted to say. "It's okay, it was a long time ago; it doesn’t bother me the way it did back then. Anyway, my grandfather, Nick ... well, let's just say he was ... _distant_. So in many ways, Jack is the only _real_ father figure I've ever had."

"I think he'd like to hear you say that, Daniel," Sam told him, touched. "Well, no, maybe he wouldn’t," she said after thinking on it a second. Daniel knew what she was thinking: Jack was more approachable than Nick Ballard, yes, but he was still a "Man's Man", and probably would be horribly embarrassed by such a sentiment. "Let me rephrase: he'd be glad to _know_ it."

Daniel smiled fondly, thinking of Jack. "Maybe I’ll send him a Father's Day card." He winked at Vala, who beamed. He hadn’t taken his arm off her shoulder yet -- and found he didn’t really _want_ to.

Unfortunately, Vala had other ideas. "Cam, where is the bathroom?" she asked.

Daniel felt a surge of panic, barely resisting the reflexive urge to hold her tighter and tell her she'd have to hold it till they went back to the base.

"Yeah, I gotta go too," Sam said, and Daniel quietly let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Sam would keep an eye on her.

Mitchell pointed the way, and the girls left the men alone at the table.

Despite the crowd of the restaurant, it suddenly grew very cold. At first, Daniel thought it was just the sudden absence of Vala at his side. Then he realised the men across from him had now adopted the same glare they'd given him at the base's parking lot.

"Jackson, you're walkin' a fine line with my temper," Mitchell informed him, drawing out the "i"s menacingly.

"With mine as well," Teal'c concurred.

"I wouldn’t say _I'm_ the happiest of campers," Landry chimed in.

Daniel was completely at a loss. "Okay, do you want to tell me what I _did_ to get you all so ticked off at me?"

Mitchell leaned in conspiratorially, and the others followed suit. "All this 'it's not a date' nonsense--"

"It's _not_ a date--"

"Jackson, you shut the hell up and _listen_ , or you and I are gonna take it outside, mister. _This_ ," Mitchell waved his hand around the restaurant, "is what normal people mean when they talk about 'co-workers out for dinner'," he emphasized with air-quotes. " _Not_ somewhere like the place you took Vala to that night -- especially not when you're _alone_ together like that."

Daniel pursed his brow, baffled. "Why not?"

Mitchell rolled his eyes. "Daniel, how does Vala learn about our society? _Through the freakin' television!_ Now, I know you're a book man, but on TV, when a couple goes out, the guy usually tries to impress the girl with fancy eats. A ' _just friends_ ' sort of night out, on the other hand, is more like a beer commercial than a chick flick -- it's all ... _rowdy_ , and casual-like, with dinners $15 and under! And all the touchy-feely stuff you do with her ... you're sending the poor girl mixed messages, man! If you just wanted to be friends, you should have arranged something with _all_ of us. Something like, oh, I dunno, _what we're doing right now?_ "

Daniel sat back in his seat, staring at his glass. He liked eating at places like the one he'd taken Vala to; he came from a wealthy family (he might have lost his parents, but Nick was also well-off), so it didn’t seem all that extravagant to him ....

Well, no, that was the excuse he'd used to justify taking here there. In actuality, he felt more relaxed at places like their current location. He knew very well just how fancy the other place was; he'd wanted to take her somewhere _nice_ , give her a special night. She _deserved_ it. He wanted her to be happy -- friends wanted that for each other, didn’t they? It didn’t mean anything ... did it? Wouldn’t he do the same for Sam? Except ... he never really _had_ done something like that with Sam. If they went someplace fancy, it was for a birthday or something, and with other people.

"You're right," he conceded quietly, leaning on his elbow. "That _was_ stupid of me."

Mitchell smiled, pity evident. "Naw, it wasn't stupid, Jackson. Thing is, I think you _were_ sending her the right message -- you just forgot to carbon-copy it to _yourself_!"

Daniel shot his head up, scowling. "What--"

"Ahhh, there they are," Landry said a little too loudly, as a warning; following the man's gaze, Daniel could see the girls coming back from the washroom. "We were just about to send out a rescue team!" Landry called to them.

"Oh, but Sam was with me this time, I don’t think you needed to worry!" Vala insisted.

Landry's eyes grew comically large in alarm. Daniel might have laughed, if he wasn't already feeling bad for Vala; so did Mitchell and Teal'c, judging by their faces.

"Oh, er, I was just teasing ya; don't mind me," Landry assured her. "I used to say the same thing to Carolyn all the time when she was growing up."

$ $ $

Vala look deeply touched. It occurred to Sam that it pleased her friend to hear Landry speak of her in the same context as his daughter. Sam was struck with a strange mix of pity and happiness for her friend. She shoved pity aside, cleaving to the happy. Vala might not have had a great life up till now, but SG-1 would take care of her like they always took care of each other.

The food arrived seconds later. Vala seemed delighted to try all the types of barbecue sauce, making a mess of her face and hands -- but, miraculously, not her clothes -- as she did so. She also seemed rather enamoured of the wet naps. "They smell so pretty!" she remarked, and inhaled deeply.

"Yeah, lemon is one of my favorite scents," Sam said. "It's a good cleaner, too -- that's why they use it in these things," she added, holding her own nap up.

It was a nice change of pace, really, having a girl around to talk to.

"It's been used historically this way for ages," Daniel added his two cents. "Throughout time, it's been common to have a bowl of lemon-water at the table to clean your hands -- both before and after a meal."

 _Yep, definitely a nice change_ , Sam mused, noting how, unlike when Vala first arrived and complained that Daniel bored her to tears, Vala now hung onto her friend's every word -- just as he did with Vala. She knew how lonely Daniel had been, and how that loneliness had faded since Vala's arrival -- even if he didn’t notice it himself.

* * *

Vala's eyes lit up at the song that started playing on the jukebox in the corner. There was a bit of space around the machine, and some people were dancing. "Oh! I love this song! Let's dance, Daniel!" she pleaded.

"Ahhh, I don’t know, I'm pretty stuffed." And, well, he wasn't fond of the song and wasn’t much of a dancer.

"How can you be stuffed? You haven't even had dessert yet!" she insisted.

"I will dance with you, ValaMalDoran," Teal'c offered.

Vala looked to Daniel, a question in her eyes. He felt that inexplicable surge of hostility at Teal'c again, but ignored it. She should dance if she wanted to; why should he hold her back?

"Yeah, you two go ahead," he told her.

There was a flash of disappointment and hurt in her eyes, before she smiled a plastic smile and accepted Teal'c's offer; Daniel realised then that the question she'd been asking between the lines hadn’t been the one he'd thought she was. And he'd definitely given the wrong answer, then.

Apparently someone else agreed; he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his leg as Mitchell's steel-toed boot connected with his shin. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

Landry had taken Sam over to the dance floor. Seeing the look in Mitchell's eyes, Daniel wasn't sure he'd survive the absence.

"There you go again! God, for having a PHD, you can be a real moron, you know that? You _do_ know you were supposed to _object_ , right?"

"Why are you so insistent that I should play the jealous boyfriend, anyway?" Daniel snapped back.

A passing pair of women halted and blinked at the outburst. They exchanged glances and started giggling as they walked away.

"It's not -- he's not -- _we're_ not -- ah, _hell!_ " Mitchell rolled his head back, as if in pain. "Dammit, I hope they weren't regulars here! Some of us don't _have_ a girlfriend yet."

" _None_ of us do," Daniel hissed. "You _could_ go after Vala!" Although that thought made him inexplicably angry .... "And Teal'c seems interested enough in her," Daniel pointed out, glaring at the Jaffa from across the room, "so why foist her on me?" And why did Teal'c dancing with her bother Daniel so much?

Daniel saw Mitchell studying Daniel's face a moment, and felt nervous. Then the man grinned, and Daniel's was downright scared! "Maybe you've got the jealousy thing down after all ...." Mitchell mused.

"What?! _No_!" Daniel sputtered, wondering at his own panic.

Mitchell pursed his lip. "Teal'c's _not_ interested in Vala, Jackson; he's just picking up your slack and trying to goad _you_ into _doing_ something about your _own_ interest! He said he feels he _owes_ it to you!"

Daniel looked at his friend like the man was speaking another language -- one that, for once, the linguist was unfamiliar with.

Mitchell looked at the table and started pushing the water beaded on the wood around with a finger. "Teal'c ... he told me he feels responsible for your losing Sha're ...."

Daniel flinched at the mention of his late wife.

"... And he's trying to make sure you don't lose _another_ opportunity for happiness." Mitchell looked him square in the eye, and the protest on Daniel's lips died, stifled by the knot of grief that had lodged in his throat. "Sha're herself would have asked it of him, and you know it," Mitchell continued. "I didn’t even _know_ her, and I know _that_ \-- _any_ good person would want their loved ones to move on and be happy. She wouldn't want you to be alone forever just because _she_ can't be with you." Mitchell shook his head. "You're your own worst enemy, Jackson. You're attracted to Vala, and you feel guilty for it, so you just keep pushing her away. It's like you're _punishing_ her for making you feel that way!"

The protest on Daniel's tongue flared to life once more -- only what came out wasn't the words he'd intended. "She doesn't feel the same way about _me, anyway_ , so what does it matter?"

Mitchell arched his brows in surprise. "Ooooh. There's some of that too, is there?"

"Some of _**what** , Dr. Freud_?," Daniel asked, rolling his eyes.

Mitchell leaned forward. "Jackson ... _Daniel_ ... I know that, for a long time, Vala gave you plenty of reason to doubt her intentions. And you may very well have been _right_ to -- _back then_. But if you could see how she looks at you from where _I'm_ sitting? _You wouldn't._ Just like none of us could have watched you these past three weeks, how you worried about her, the relief you showed when you found her and held her again ... nobody could look at you and _not_ know how you feel about her. Maybe you need to remember the reason you gave me when I asked you three weeks ago what you were doing taking her to dinner in the _first_ place."

Daniel had told Mitchell and Landry as many details as possible about the night of Vala's disappearance, but he hadn't realised just how much they might read between the lines -- mostly because he hadn't read between them _himself_. He looked at Mitchell blankly, trying to remember just what he had said in that regard.

Mitchell sighed in exasperation. "You said that you were thanking her for making the effort to be a good person! Now, if you _really_ think she's changed for the better, then _put your heart where your mouth is_ , Daniel."

 _It's already there_ , Daniel thought as he watched her from across the crowded room.

"No one's saying you have to make like bunnies tonight," Mitchell added, making Daniel blush and obviously enjoying every second. "Just let her know that you need to take it slow, instead of trying to pretend you’re not interested at _all_."

As if in emphasis, the music changed to a slow song.

"I think .... I think it's time I got on the dance floor, don’t you?" Daniel asked his companion as he slid out of the booth, giving Cameron a small, nervous smile in gratitude.

_^^_

"Atta boy," Cameron said into his glass as he watched Daniel tap Teal'c on the shoulder, then take a beaming Vala into his arms.

Arriving back at the table with Carter and Landry in tow, Teal'c grinned broadly and announced to Mitchell,

"Mission accomplished."

~ FINIS ~

**Author's Note:**

> Daniel Jackson, what are you gonna do next? "I'm taking my girl to Disney World!"
> 
> ***************  
> If you've enjoyed my writing, I invite you to explore my original fantasy storyverse, [Gaiankind](http://gaiankind.com)! You can even find Gaiankind stories for free [here](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Gaiankind) on AO3!


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